Home/Archive/Sep 27, 2026

NYT Crossword — September 27, 2026

Sunday’s 21 × 21 puzzle, 140 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 140 revealed

1S

2T

3I

4G

5M

6A

7S

8P

9R

10I

11G

12C

13U

14T

15G

16E

17M

18S

19T

E

T

R

A

D

20A

R

I

S

E

21O

P

H

E

L

I

A

22U

P

S

I

D

E

23R

A

N

L

O

24W

25O

R

A

T

O

R

Y

26M

E

M

E

D

27M

A

N

G

A

28E

29S

P

O

R

T

30P

E

E

R

A

31G

E

32C

O

M

33M

I

T

T

O

P

A

34P

35E

36R

37S

A

D

38I

E

39O

W

L

E

T

40N

I

L

E

41M

42O

43S

H

P

I

T

44S

U

E

45D

S

46T

47L

A

B

48P

A

R

E

49C

O

50R

51I

O

L

I

52S

53H

54Y

E

N

A

55T

H

E

W

56E

57B

58H

O

L

I

59A

60C

61U

R

A

62S

E

C

63A

R

64E

65Y

O

U

I

N

66M

O

P

E

R

67S

68D

R

A

69G

R

A

C

E

S

70V

I

L

L

A

N

O

71V

72A

73R

A

G

E

O

N

74S

75P

76L

E

N

D

I

D

77S

E

N

78W

A

S

N

T

79M

A

I

N

80T

S

81H

I

R

T

82B

83E

84C

K

S

85L

86O

O

P

B

A

87C

88K

89A

C

N

E

90U

S

O

91M

92A

93C

94S

R

I

95B

E

96S

97P

O

K

E

98R

A

U

99L

100G

O

101A

P

E

102I

D

E

A

L

103J

U

P

I

104T

E

R

P

R

O

105B

106E

S

107P

L

U

108M

109J

110O

111B

112V

E

I

N

T

E

113L

A

I

114R

S

115T

E

E

N

Y

116R

117E

118V

E

R

S

I

119Y

120E

A

S

T

Y

121S

O

R

T

E

R

122E

S

C

O

R

T

S

123T

H

E

M

E

124P

E

C

T

I

N

125V

A

R

N

I

S

H

126A

S

S

E

S

127A

D

S

A

L

E

Across

62 clues

1Bad association

7Shoot for dinner?

12Jeweler's wares

19… in global commerce)(Conflict …

21DeVore who co-founded one of the first U.S. agencies for nonwhite models in 1946

22Potential benefit

23Was almost out of supplies

25That's saying something!

26Turned into an internet gag

27Japanese graphic novels

28… outdoor festivals)(Bathrooms at …

30Dukes, countesses, etc.

32Put down in writing

37Actress Sink of "Stranger Things"

39Baby who's up all night?

40Where many papyrus plants grow

41Frenzied locale at a rock concert

44Press a case?

45"Spring forward" hrs.

49Kind of effect that deflects motion in one direction in the Northern Hemisphere and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere [with a hint to this puzzle's shaded squares]

53Carnivore whose vocalization sounds like giggling

55Google's domain

58Hindu festival of colors

59Auto brand whose logo is meant to evoke the precision of a caliper

63Challenge to a potential investor

66… transport)(Bigwig's …

68Straightaway driving contests

70Philadelphia-area university that's a powerhouse in men's hoops

73… park an auto)(Narrow space in which to …

77One in 100: Abbr.

78"It ___ Me" (2000 Shaggy hit)

79Word with dish or drag

80Locale for many a commercial logo

82German brewery since 1873

85Return to an earlier topic of conversation … or what six answers in this puzzle literally do

89Cause of some red cheeks

90Entertainment source for general audiences, in brief?

95Custom-tailored

98One of Cuba's Castros

103Crafts used in NASA's Galileo and Juno missions

107Good position to be in?

112… clarify or explain)(Seeking to …

116Disk-flipping strategy game

119Like wheat beers

121Certain factory machine

123Many a John Williams composition

124… of hindsight)(With the benefit …

127Deal made on the spot?

Down

78 clues

2Conical accommodations

3Unhelpful way to respond to "Hello?"

4"Jackie Brown" star Pam

6Commercial suffix with Power

7Singer Bareilles

8Have a spring in one's step

9One of the Beatles

10Faith with five pillars

11Prefix with cache

12Assumed ownership over

13Pulls out, as weeds

14Choreographer Twyla

15Achieve a sunbather's goal

16___ rating (chess stat)

17Old space station

24Chinese artist Ai ___

27Triage provider

29The Cardinals, on scoreboards

31Clothing brand named for perceived generational differences in the ’60s

34It's driven into the ground

36Redheaded "Queen of Country"

38Diminutive Spanish suffix

41Bill of HBO's "Real Time"

43Do some garment-making

44Performances for one

46Competitor of Bluesky and X

48Affliction for some vets, in brief

51Promise of payback

52Chef Nosrat who wrote the best seller "Salt Fat Acid Heat"

56Sonic euphoria, colloquially

57Scottish hillsides

60Far from the target, in a guessing game

61Illuminated from below

64Univ. course that's in demand?

65Streisand musical

67"That's freaking epic!"

70___ cava (major blood vessel)

71Sci-fi pioneer Jules

72It gets you a hand

74Portmanteau sandwich cookie with a layer of marshmallow

75Big ___, nickname for M.L.B.'s David Ortiz

76Lefty, to a righty

81"Ni ___" (Chinese "hello")

82___ Khalifa, tower scaled by Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol"

83Heir with much hair in the Bible

84Great success

87Purportedly calming compound in some gummies, in brief

92Shaders of gray?

93Cultural group of SW Britain

97Astronomically demoted, as per a 2006 Word of the Year

102"Am I crazy …?"

104Twin sister of Sherri on "The Simpsons"

105Malaise, with "the"

108Violently eliminates, in gamer-speak

109Volkswagen sedan

110Buck enshrined in Cooperstown

111David who fronted Talking Heads

114Some loaves or liquors

116Something gas cars do noisily that electric vehicles don't

117That, in Spanish

118Forerunner of the DVD player

120"when r u coming?"

121Relaxing getaway

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Sunday, Sep 27, 2026

21×21

Grid size

140

Total entries

83/358

Black / letter cells

5.1

Avg entry length

13 ltrs

Longest entry

Themed

Sunday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedSep 27, 2026

DaySunday

ThemeThe Full 12 Rounds

ConstructorAdam Wagner

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split62 across · 78 down

Longest entries

32APut down in writing13 ltrs 103ACrafts used in NASA's Galileo and Juno missions13 ltrs 68AStraightaway driving contests9 ltrs 70APhiladelphia-area university that's a powerhouse in men's hoops9 ltrs 49AKind of effect that deflects motion in one direction in the Northern Hemisphere and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere [with a hint to this puzzle's shaded squares]8 ltrs

Sunday is the big one, a 21 by 21 grid built around a named theme rather than raw difficulty. This grid has 83 black squares and averages 5.1 letters per entry.